Staff members of two Selangor exco members were today questioned by police officers from Bukit Aman in connection with a probe into alleged links between exco members and underworld figures.

The officers - Commercial Crimes Investigation Department Superintendent Mohamed Osman and Inspector Azizi Halim, an investigations officer from the Cyber and Multimedia Crime Investigation Unit - arrived at about 11.30am and proceeded to the offices of excos members Ean Yong Hian Wah and Ronnie Liu at the Selangor state secretariat.

NONE They then asked to speak to clerk Siti Fairous Shohaime from Liu's office and Ean Yong's administrative assistant Azar Ismail.

Liu's secretary Daniel Chong said that Siti Fairous had initially refused to give any statement "until she got the green light from him".

Chong who was at the Teoh Beng Hock inquest rushed back to the state secretariat and then instructed Siti Fairous to cooperate with the police.

Inspector Azizi interviewed Siti Fairous behind closed doors from 1.00pm to 3.20pm. Chong accompanied Siti Fairous during the interview.

According to Chong, Liu who is the exco in charge of local government was away in Penang for the Permatang Pasir by-election nominations .

Ean Yong's administrative assistant similarly was reported to have asked permission to contact her boss for instructions before agreeing for the interview. Ean Yong arrived at his office at about 12.30pm after being contacted.

Azar was then interviewed by Superintendent Mohamed with Ean Yong sitting in. The administrative assistant's interview took about one hour, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm.

Criminal elements meeting in exco offices

NONE In a press conference held after the police visit, Ean Yong said the visit was to investigate about a police report alleging that offices of Selangor excos were being used by criminal elements to discuss their illegal activities.

He said that Wangsa Maju MP Wee Chee Keong's blog was mentioned in the interview.

Ean Yong added that the police refused to name the person who made the report but admitted that "no specific exco members were mentioned (in the report)".

He said the police were investigating the matter under Section 211 of the Multimedia and Communications Act.

He also said that in the interview, the police officer was interested in the procedures to meet with excos.

In a separate press conference at Liu's office, his secretary Chong confirmed that the interview with Siti Fairous also revolved around the same issue.

He also said that a visitor's logbook was seized by police. The logbook documents visitors to Liu's office.

Selangor government under attack

The police action of harassing the Selangor government was ticked off by another exco member Dr Xavier Jayakumar, who said that "this line of questioning by the police must stop".

"We (the Selangor government) are being attacked by police and MACC," he said.

NONE Jayakumar also claimed that these attacks were because Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was trying to bring down the Selangor government.

Commenting on the allegations of criminal elements visiting excos, Jayakumar added that they meet all those who come to see them. He said that this was also the procedure with all government departments, state and federal.

Ean Yong who is also Seri Kembangan assemblyperson added that "we are ‘wakil rakyat' we need to meet our people". He said that they cannot screen everyone who comes to their office.

The investigations into the alleged links between the exco members and gangsters were begun after a blog entry by Wangsa Maju MP Wee claimed that the office of a Selangor exco member was being used by some underworld characters. He had not named any exco members in his blog.